


i'm two quarters and a heart down

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Retirement, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 01:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10753821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Phichit finds his first student when he's twenty-three and in the comercial district of Bangkok.





	i'm two quarters and a heart down

**Author's Note:**

> this was for phichit week day 5: "patriotism".
> 
> enjoy!

Phichit loves his country a little bit more when he's twenty-three and goes to the commercial district where he first skated. Viktor's long retired, and Yuuri is still on the ice, though the rumors of his retirement looming closer are always there. He and Seung-gil seem to be the next big thing, and he's excited about that.

The place is different than how he remembers the last time he went, a year ago, but he still enjoys to remember how it was when he was young.

He walks to the ice rink, and he sighs when it's obviously very empty. He knew this was going to happen— he's the only active, international figure skater of Thailand nowadays. But he at least wants to see children learning to skate, or something...

And it's that when he sees her. She must be eight or nine, her arms thin and her waist small. She must be four feet eight or something, because she's really short. She has skates on, probably borrowed from the place next to the rink, and she's falling every few steps she walks.

Phichit smiles as he takes his backpack and leaves it in the ground to take his skates from there. He takes off his shoes— he sees the girl's sneakers next to them. He puts the skates on and quickly moves to the girl's side.

"Hello," he says, and she almost jumps from surprise as she turns back so she can see him.

Her eyes open wide and he knows she recognizes him as he giggles. "P-Phichit Chulanont!" she exclaims in delight.

"Yes, that's me. Do you want me to help you skate?"

"Uh, s-sure." She looks down as she licks her lips, anxiety seeming to wash over her.

"Hey, it's okay, I didn't start knowing everything. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Chailai, Chailai Janukul," she tells him.

"Alright, Chailai, I'll teach you then!" Phichit says, and he's glad the off-season started recently because she really wants to see this girl grow.

He teaches Chailai how to move across the ice, to glide and for the snow to form at her feet. She replies excitedly, and there's a sparkle in her eyes that reminds Phichit of how his parents said his eyes shone when he talked about skating.

When it's around six pm, Chailai already can skate and fall rarely. She's smiling and telling him he's her inspiration and that she's been watching his programs since she was six. Phichit knows that was in the 2015-16 season, and he bites his lip when he realizes that means she saw him get sixth place at the Grand Prix Final.

"I know you got sixth place," Chailai tells him as if she's read his mind. "But you were still amazing, Mr. Chulanont! And last year you got fourth... I'm sure you'll get to the podium now!"

Phichit loves how supportive Chailai is, and he smiles as he ruffles her hair. "Thank you, Chailai. Do you plan on getting a coach sometime? I have one here, his name's Celestino; he can help you learn."

Chailai looks at him with widened eyes. "B-But I just started today... I don't think he'll want such a novice..."

"I'll help you learn the basics and then he can coach you then!" Phichit replies, a gleeful grin on his face.

"Alright! Thank you, Phichit! I'm so glad you're Thailand's skater!"

Phichit pauses and he feels himself tear up at the wording of that. _You're Thailand's skater._ Not one of them, he's who shows Thailand to the world.

He feels pride pool at his heart before he hugs Chailai, and she looks quite confused as he mutters a strangled 'thank you'. Phichit leaves her with a quick nod of his head and he licks his lips and breathes deeply.

Celestino calls him then, and he answers. "Yeah, what's up?" he says, and he doesn't notice how his voice sounds like he's about to cry.

"You sound sad, something wrong?"

"Not really, I just got emotional. I was helping a girl learn at the commercial district."

"There's a girl learning to skate? That's amazing!"

"I know! I'm so glad Thai people are skating again." He loves his country, and he loves how the art of ice skating seems to be coming back after he started. He hopes Chailai becomes a professional skater someday.

He goes back home a few hours later and he tells Yuuri about the incident through text. He replies that he's glad that's happening, and that he's heard of up-and-coming figure skaters at Tokyo a few times.

Asia is slowly coming back to skating, and Phichit loves that.

* * *

Phichit is twenty-six when he retires. Not exactly his wish, but post concussion syndrome simply stops him from skating. He fell face first into the ice one day, and what followed were terrible headaches, poor coordination and common lack of concentration.

It hasn't seemed to stop since then, and he knows if he gets better he'll a. be around twenty-seven, prime retiring age and b. be out of shape. So it's not worth it to try again; he did win the Four Continents and the GPF, so he has kind of proved he could do something.

He's kind of an icon in Thailand— well, he's always been, but with both gold medals it's like this is amplified by a lot. When he announced he was retiring he saw posters of him everywhere around the streets of Bangkok, and random people gave him hugs.

Phichit's also been looking for Chailai's training. She's twelve now and she seems prepared to go to the Junior competitions by next year. She can do basic jumps, up to doubles, and puberty seems to be hitting her the hardest.

Phichit appreciates how not conventionally pretty the preteen is. Figure skating is all about beauty, sure, but it's more about the beauty of your movement in the ice than how beautiful your appearance is.

Chailai has short hair, a little bit under her ears, and her nose is crooked and visibly so. Her skin is dark, but a little paler than Phichit's. She has acne all over her face, which she tries to conceal with little good results.

"You're doing so well, Chailai!" Celestino praises her in Thai, and Phichit is glad he's bothered to learn his native language.

Chailai does another double loop and Phichit smiles as he sits down in the bleachers. She seems to be good, to have potential, and Phichit is glad to have someone participate in ice skating if they're from his country.

Phichit could easily be described as Celestino's right hand. He helps him with the two students there are in the rink right now, and as Celestino has been off the ice for about fifteen years and Phichit only four, it's easier for him to teach the new trends in skating.

Chailai's first Junior season is stressful. She doesn't comment much on her parents as she moves from place to place, except for when they call her and she seems legitimately scared.

Her events happen almost in a blur, but she ends up the third in line to compete in the woman's singles. She got second place at her first competition, in Russia, while she got third at the second. Phichit knows Yuuri and Viktor are coaching a little girl named Lyuba, who is fourteen currently. She's also, in fact, the girl who got first place in the event in Russia.

Phichit isn't bitter about his friends being the ones with the 'better student' or the ones who are the 'better coaches', as the media puts it. He's happy to see them again, and when they're in the Grand Prix Final in Lyon, he can't help but give Yuuri a big hug.

The competition comes and goes, and he watches the men's Senior singles with glinting on his eyes. Seung-gil is still on the ice, even though the rumors of him retiring at any moment spread like wildfire at every one of his moves. He's thirty, after all, and his peak was two years ago, when he got silver at the Worlds.

When it's the Juniors, he doesn't pay much attention to the men's singles. He feels like there's fog in his brain and his head is pounding. Celestino is the one to shake him violently when it's the women's singles turn.

There's silence for a moment and, as the first three enter and exit the rink, tension builds up inside Phichit. He knows Thailand can win again— his country can be known for their sports again.

He holds his breath when Chailai enters the rink, her skirt up to her knees and her entire blue outfit with glitter reflects her young age perfectly. The music starts playing as the commentator talks. "Here's Thailand's future in figure skating after Phichit Chulanont, Chailai Janukul!"

Phichit starts sobbing softly at that, pride of being Thai, of being part of his amazing country and its history, pooling inside him. It's incredible, it's fascinating. Phichit is so grateful he's being remembered as Thailand's future in the past.

And he's so, so grateful Chailai will hold the same title.


End file.
